Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

धर्मेशदर्शनान्नित्यं तथाभूतः स दुर्दमः । बभूव दमिनां श्रेष्ठः प्रांते मोक्षं च लब्धवान्

Transliteration

dharmeśadarśanānnityaṃ tathābhūtaḥ sa durdamaḥ | babhūva damināṃ śreṣṭhaḥ prāṃte mokṣaṃ ca labdhavān

Translation

Durch die unablässige Schau Dharmēśas (Dharmēśvaras) wurde Durdama verwandelt. Er wurde der Vornehmste unter den Selbstbeherrschten und erlangte am Ende auch Mokṣa.

Word by Word

• dharmeśadarśanāt: from seeing Dharmeśa
• dharmeśadarśanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharmeśa-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: धर्मेशस्य दर्शनम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (Ablative): -āt (from/by the sight)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): नित्यं (always/constantly)

• tathābhūtaḥ: thus transformed
• tathābhūtaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tathā-bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: तथा + भूत (so become); क्त (PPP) रूपेण, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Pronoun)

• durdamaḥ: hard to subdue
• durdamaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-dama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: दुर् + दम (hard to subdue); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• babhūva: became
• babhūva: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• daminām: of the self-controlled
• daminām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: damin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (Genitive): दमिनाम् (of the self-controlled)

• śreṣṭhaḥ: the best
• śreṣṭhaḥ: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘श्रेष्ठ’ (best)

• prānte: at the end
• prānte: Adhikarana (Time/Place)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prānta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Locative): प्रान्ते (at the end)

• mokṣam: liberation
• mokṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction): च (and)

• labdhavān: obtained
• labdhavān: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: कृत्-प्रत्यय: क्तवतु (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘लब्धवान्’ (having obtained)

Speaker

Skanda (narration context: Kāśīkhaṇḍa, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmēśvara in Kāśī

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-like image: repeated visits to Dharmēśvara—each time the devotee’s posture becomes calmer; finally he sits in deep composure, radiance around him, suggesting liberation at life’s end.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmēśa (Dharmēśvara)
• Durdama
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular darśana of the Lord in a mokṣa-kṣetra cultivates dama (self-restraint) and culminates in liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmēśvara/Dharmēśa in Kāśī, whose darśana is credited with inner transformation and mokṣa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nitya-darśana (regular/continual devotional visitation) of Dharmēśa is implied as a practice.